whether John was the Christ (Luke iii. 15; Acts xiii. 25). Note the frequent occurrence of the emphatic 7: vv. 23, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33, 34. On the Christ, see on Matt. i. 1.
24. What then? Art thou Elias? JBetter, as Rev., Elijah. Some authorities read, What then art thou? Elijah? Elijah, predicted in Mal. iv. 5, as the forerunner of the day of the Lord.
Art thou that prophet? Rev., “the prophet.” According to the Greek order, the prophet art thou. See Deut. xviii. 15, and compare Acts iii. 22; vii. 37; John i. 46; vi. 14.
No. Observe how the successive denials become shorter.
23. The voice (pwr). Or, a voice. There is no article. See on Matt. iii. 5.
Crying in the wilderness. Some join im the wilderness with make straight, as in the Hebrew. The quotation is from Isa. xl. 3. In the other three Gospels it is applied to the Bap- tist (Matt. iii. 3; Mark i. 3; Luke iii. 4). Here he uses it of himself. On wilderness, see on Matt. iii. 1.
Make straight the way (evdIuvate tv oddv). For odor, way, all the Synoptists have tp/Bous, beaten tracks ; and for the verb evdivate, make straight, the adjective and verb evJelas rroveire. On the figure of preparing the roads, see on Luke iii. 5.
24. They which were sent were (of dmrectadpévor Hoar). Lit., those having been sent were. But the best texts omit the article, so that the remaining words form the pluperfect pas- sive: “they had been sent from the Pharisees.” This addition of an explanatory circumstance is characteristic of John. Com- pare i. 41, 45; ix. 14; xi. 5,185 xiii. 23.
26. | baptize with water: but there standeth. The best texts omit but ; so that the two clauses illustrate John’s char- acteristic parallelism, and bring out the sharp contrast be- tween the Baptist and his successor.